Got destroyed uphill to the traffic lights by a spectacularly “cool dude” on a featherweight SS bike on the way home.

“Looks fun” I say
“Cycle speedway” he says.
*amber*
nnnneeeeeeeeeeeeeow.

I’ve never seen anyone move so fast, this was in Edinburgh, on a hill. Where are these people racing?

There’s a track I drive past regularly, like a tiny (I mean like you’d think it’s for radio-controlled cars, not bicycles, tiny) flat speedway oval. The bikes are speedway specific.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_speedway

Seems popular in the Midlands and Poland apparently!
There’s a track near me in Coventry that sees a fair few races.

He was from that part of the world.

Eg: Sht brickhousy, hoy thighs, dreadlocks, monster.

Think i’m just jealous.

Rapid is an understatement. As he departed he yelled “Sayonara”

Sounded like the noise of a Porsche gt3 if you ask me.

Well impressed.

http://www.edinburghfalcons.co.uk/

Not proper speedway if it doesn’t involve a) toxic fumes and b) ambulances

Northwind, you’re consistent as a resource of madness.

Nice to meet a commuter who follows me up broughton st up leith st to waveley and has a bit of a giggle at my 32:18.

Brutal indeed.

Edit: The bike was chunky, all anodised and too-compact-for-rider. Seemed to work.

I rode in cleckheaton for a season. Stupidly fast cadence those boys! Nice cycle sport as the bikes are cheap and cobbled together, kit is minimal and races short (sub 30 secs!)

There’s a cycle speedway shop in Wolverhampton, owned by the grumpiest bloke who has ever lived.

takisawa2 – Member
There’s a cycle speedway shop in Wolverhampton, owned by the grumpiest bloke who has ever lived

I do not own any shop and I’ve never even been to wolverhampton or have any idea what this is all about so stop with the accusations

The bike did look like he had raided every “what classic bit for” box anywhere.

Point is, i’ve never seen someone push off a trackstand with such obnoxious acceleration. he said “sayonara”, it may as well have been “byeeeeee bitcheeeesss”.

There was even an article on it in STW once upon a time I believe….

i know of a couple of clubs in sheffield – one at shirecliffe and one at norton that a friends daughter races at – think this is a new track – i’d never heard of it until some sort of cycling festival and local club were doing demo bit likr bmx pump tracks/clubs need more of them get kids off the sofa

http://www.cyclespeedwayhistory.org.uk/

phinbob – Member
There was even an article on it in STW once upon a time I believe….

was there a lot of complaints? 8)

cyclo-speedway by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07g998eXL4c&feature=related[/video]

Looks like fun.

New one on me…
They should have nunchucks too…

I always mean to get down to the open days and borrow a bike and give it a go… Looks fun.

I took part. It was ACE fun, proper bloody knackering. full on puke your guts out pedalling down the straights, lean the bike over round the corner, repeat for four laps. Try not to puke at the end. We were taught a starting technique that involved standing on tiptoe with the lower pedal against your leg, foot on upper pedal ready to go at the start

if you can find a local club then get down and give it a go. You might end up being handed your own arse on a plate by a 14 year old girl (might have happened to me) but it’ll be fun and different and you might well pick up new skills

that looks piggin’ awesome.. not for the faint hearted though 😯

on a similar note.. I’m off with the fam to watch roller derby this arvo.. which I kind of the same thing but on roller skates, and with more girls dressed pretty much in underwear, tattoos and kneepads 😀

A mate of mine has been doing Cycle Speedway for years.

He’s unbeatable over 100 yards.

He tells me it’s a great sport if you like a beer or two and the occasional fight…

Just discovered that there is a club about 5 miles from where I live.

http://www.burycyclespeedway.com/

I wonder if they do group taster sessions… Anyone up for it?

I’ve just flirted them an email to see if they do group bookings.

There is a team or two in Newcastle.

http://www.newcastlecsc.org.uk

There is a club in Exeter, I’ve watched a couple of times- it is fast and furious!

I’ve ridden with a cycle speedway world champion. It’s a mad sport, tight corners on a loose surface with no brakes…

Are those bike stock then?

I rode cycle speedway in the late 60s and early seventies.It is a very fast sport and if your not fit then you will be left for dead.The key to winning a race was getting a good start.The bikes back then were quite low geared for the start and accelerating out of the corners.A race lasted 4 laps on a short track. It could get a bit phyisical at tmes especially going into the bends.Elbows in to the ribs was one i remember happened in most races.You were also allowed to put your leg out in front of another rider to stop him passing you in the corners.All in all a very good sport which i enjoyed riding for all of my teenage years and i am planning a trip to Bury this year just to watch as i dont think i would be fit enough to take part.
And back in the day we didnt wear helmets and or air fence was the the people who came to watch the races.Due to this there was always people hurt but never that bad they needed to go to A&E.

An actual thing?

it’s an awesome thing.

cocking around on bikes, with your mates, reduced to it’s purest form.

epic crashes.

There’s maybe a club near you that’ll be delighted to run a ‘mates-race’ for you if you can gather up a group of 8 or so. we paid something trivial like £2 each or something.

There is one next to Newport velodrome

There is a club in Filton in Bristol as well

Turns out my local club has the reigning world champion in it, going to go down and check out a few races. Looks an absolute hoot.

I had a go at this at the track in Edinburgh once. The second most important thing (after fitness) was cajones. You sprint like mad and hit the corner as fast as you can, and hope the bike makes it. Lots of falling off ! Cornering skill 3rd most important.